After a few moments of this tremendous exertion, our victim settled down, leaving the water deeply stained with his gushing blood.  With him disappeared his constant companion, the faithful cow, who had never left his side a minute since we first got fast.  Down, down they went, until my line began to look very low, and I was compelled to make signals to the ship for more.  We had hardly elevated the oars, when down dropped the last boat with four men in her, arriving by my side in a few minutes with two fresh tubs of tow-line.  We took them on board, and the boat returned again.  By the time the slack came we had about four hundred and fifty fathoms out—­a goodly heap to pile up loose in our stern-sheets.  I felt sure, however, that we should have but little more trouble with our fish; in fact, I was half afraid that he would die before getting to the surface, in which case he might sink and be lost.  We hauled steadily away, the line not coming in very easily, until I judged there was only about another hundred fathoms out.  Our amazement may be imagined, when suddenly we were compelled to sleek away again, the sudden weight on the line suggesting that the fish was again sounding.  If ever a young hand was perplexed, it was I. Never before had I heard of such unseemly behaviour, nor was my anxiety lessened when I saw, a short distance away, the huge body of my prize at the surface spouting blood.  At the same time, I was paying out line at a good rate, as if I had a fast fish on which was sounding briskly.

The skipper had been watching me very closely from his seat on the taffrail, and had kept the ship within easy distance.  Now, suspecting something out of the common, he sent the boat again to my assistance, in charge of the cooper.  When that worthy arrived, he said, “Th’ ol’ man reckens yew’ve got snarled erp’ith thet ar’ loose keow, ‘n y’r irons hev draw’d from th’ other.  I’m gwine ter wait on him,’n get him ’longside ’soon’s he’s out’er his flurry.  Ole man sez yew’d best wait on what’s fast t’ yer an’ nev’ mine th’ other.”  Away he went, reaching my prize just as the last feeble spout exhaled, leaving the dregs of that great flood of life trickling lazily down from the widely expanded spiracle.  To drive a harpoon into the carcass, and run the line on board, was the simplest of jobs, for, as the captain had foreseen, my irons were drawn clean.  I had no leisure to take any notice of them now, though, for whatever was on my line was coming up hand-over-fist.

With a bound it reached the surface—­the identical cow so long attendant upon the dead whale.  Having been so long below for such a small whale, she was quite exhausted, and before she had recovered we had got alongside of her and lanced her, so thoroughly that she died without a struggle.  The ship was so close that we had her alongside in a wonderfully short time, and with scarcely any trouble.